


Quantum Ghosts

by caidanu (Zanya)



Series: Little Things Verse [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Gen, Halloween, Humor, Quantum physics theory, cross-dressing, strange happenings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-09
Updated: 2013-11-09
Packaged: 2017-12-31 23:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1037531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zanya/pseuds/caidanu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rewind back several years, and the boys are 14, out on a Halloween night. The only thing worse than losing a bet to Naruto and wearing drag on trick or treat night is being stuck with him in an old abandon mansion that reeks of moss and filth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quantum Ghosts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rasengan22](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rasengan22/gifts).



“I can’t believe I let you talk me into coming here.” Sasuke pulled the dark blue skirt down around his knees. 

A chilly wind blew through the busted window above them while he and Naruto huddled against the dirty wall in the old abandoned mansion. His navy blue high heels hurt his feet, and the tan stockings pulled against his legs. The light blue cardigan barely covered the white blouse he wore underneath. At least his makeup did seem like it was coming off, though Sasuke didn’t bother with mascara since his eyelashes were already thick and dark enough. 

“I can’t believe I talked myself into coming here.” Naruto shifted closer to Sasuke so that their knees touched. “This place is giving me the willies.”

Naruto had decided to dress up as a werewolf. Sasuke thought the costume looked ridiculous. There were tufts of fur padding attached to Naruto’s legs, arms and chest. Underneath he wore blue jeans and an orange t-shirt. His face had gaudy makeup that was supposed to look like hair but instead looked like a toddler’s bad coloring project. And he had also put on ears and some crappy looking fangs in his mouth. Sasuke had to give him props for the effort, though, since it took Naruto a couple hours to get ready. 

The house he had allowed Naruto talk him into going to, looked like it needed demolished or condemned at the very least. If the windows and doors had been boarded up, he wouldn’t be here, sitting in the cold. Moss and mold covered parts of the walls and doorway. The steps had busted when they went up them and then a noise startled Naruto. After he dragged Sasuke into this shitty room, they sat down to rest for a bit until they could figure out a way back out. Or at least until Sasuke’s ankle stopped throbbing. 

Sasuke tried to run his fingers through his hair only to get them caught on one of the silver barrettes he had put in earlier that night. Really, he should have seen it coming when the front door had practically fallen off its hinges when they opened it. 

Naruto’s cousin had been all too happy to lend him the outfit. Sasuke didn’t even want to think what he’d have to offer her if the stains didn’t come out. But considering how slimy the wall felt behind him, he knew it was covered in slimy green mold, and he doubted it would come out. 

Sasuke sighed and wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his chin on them. “That’s what happens when we listen to your dumbass ideas. I should have known better.”

Naruto looked up and scowled at him. “Hey, my idea was great. Not my fault you sprained your ankle going up the stairs.” 

“You try going up a narrow flight of broken stairs in five-inch heals.” Sasuke really wished he had something to throw over the window. His skirt only barely came down past his knees in this huddled position. 

“Next time you’ll just have to win the bet if you don’t want to dress in drag.” Naruto chuckled nervously, his eyes darting around to the open doorway. “Besides, you make a pretty girl, bastard.”

“Shut up, idiot.” Sasuke moved away from Naruto, a part of him mourning the loss of body heat but too pissed to want to touch his best friend in any way. “There won’t be a next time if you don’t close that gaping hole in your face.”

“Touchy.” Naruto scooted closer so that their thighs touched. “Don’t move away. I can tell you’re cold. You’re barely covered up. You know, you don’t look too bad like that. You can almost pass ‘cept your shoulders are a little too broad and your jaw line isn’t quite right.” 

When Sasuke shot him a strange look, Naruto help up his hands. “Hey, I’m only saying that the brown eye shadow and eyeliner looks good on you, that’s all.”

Sasuke grunted while they sat in silence for a bit. He was well aware that he trod the line between being man-pretty and androgynous. And Naruto was right. The outfit he wore didn’t cover much. Even the camisole was too thin. How the girls at his school wore stuff like this all the time, he didn’t know. That would teach him to play seven rounds of Mario Kart with Naruto to bet on what he’d wear for Halloween. He should have put on a coat at the very least. 

“Hey, Sasuke…” Naruto poked at his shoulder. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Sasuke asked, his voice taking on an exasperated tone. “I swear you need to clean out your ears. I didn’t hear a damn thing.” 

“This place does have ghosts. I know it does,” Naruto stage whispered. He then leaned close to Sasuke, his eyes as big as saucers. “I-I think it’s haunted.”

“Haunted house? Really, Naruto?” Sasuke turned his head and almost bumped noses with Naruto. “You honestly think this house is haunted and it couldn’t be the fact that it’s windy outside and this place has more holes in it than the brain cells in your head.”

“Well, yeah,” Naruto shrugged, ignoring Sasuke’s insult. “It’s haunted and now we have proof cause this place looks creepy as fuck and I just heard something weird.” 

“Your bedroom looks ‘creepy as fuck’ too, but I doubt that’s haunted.” Sasuke chose not to comment on the times he also heard “weird” noises coming from Naruto’s bedroom. The last conversation he wanted to have was how Naruto really should be quieter while jerking off.

Naruto’s arm twitched and then he shivered, forcing Sasuke out of his thoughts. “Why did we ditch Neji again?” 

“Because, he’s a bastard. And he’d rather hang out with his older cousin and college-aged friends than with us,” Sasuke irritably reminded Naruto. “He bitched earlier that he didn’t want to baby-sit us.”

“We’re fourteen. We don’t need a babysitter,” Naruto grumpily said. “But damn, that sucks. Would’ve been nice to have a car handy.”

“We’re too old to be going out for trick or treat anyway.” Sasuke let his knees fall partially open. It felt uncomfortable to have them so close together, but the skirt kept him from sitting normally. “And you do need a baby sitter. Look at you, cowering in the corner because you’re afraid of ghosts that don’t even exist.”

“You’re all huddled up too, asshole.” Naruto kneed Sasuke in the leg, making the fur padding covering his legs loosen and hang down. 

“That’s because I’m cold. Not because I’m scared like a little bitch.” Sasuke reached over a picked a piece of something off of Naruto's arm. Frowning, he looked at it and then flicked it off his finger when he couldn't tell exactly what it was. 

Naruto’s fuzzy ears had started to peel off his head a little. The fangs also looked like they were sliding out of his mouth a little. Sasuke didn't imagine he looked much better with his outfit already looking dirty and wrinkled. 

“Hey, you believe in ghosts?” Naruto suddenly asked, poking Sasuke's arm with his finger. “I mean, what if we see one? What're we gonna do?”

“There’s no such thing as ghosts.” Sasuke batted Naruto's finger away and moved over again to give himself some space. “So, you don't have to worry about seeing one.” 

“People see them all the time, though.” Naruto narrowed his eyes and glared at Sasuke, exasperation clear in his voice. “What about that?”

“They’re not seeing ghosts.” Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes. He already knew Naruto would wear his patience thin with this. “They may be seeing inter-dimensional beings or energy that’s trapped between dimensions but not ghosts. There’s no such thing as dead people haunting anyone. Hell they could even be seeing emotional impressions left by someone else.”

“What the hell’re you talking about?” Naruto asked suspiciously. 

“Quantum physics, Naruto. Either what we think are ghosts are only energy that’s trapped in pockets, which will manifest itself once it builds up enough or it’s possible that they could be beings from a different dimension that are somehow trapped between dimensions. Or, we could be leaving stored up energy ourselves.” Sasuke sat straight up, reveling in the opportunity to discuss theory even if it was only with Naruto. “There’s one theory that whenever a person experiences a traumatic emotional event, they leave behind an imprint that another person can see. Like if there’s a huge tragedy or if someone is in extreme emotional distress. That could theoretically leave an imprint.

Then if someone comes by later, they think they’ve seen a ghost,” Sasuke explained. “And then there’s the multi-thread universe theory that Stephen Hawking—”

“Oh my god, Sasuke… what the fuck, seriously?” Naruto threw his hands up in the air, and they dramatically slapped against his thighs when they came back down. “Where the hell is your cane and porch to shoo the young children away?” 

“I am not acting like an old man, asshole.” Sasuke growled, shoving Naruto so that he slid sideways against the wall. “Just because I’m not acting like a two-year-old doesn’t mean I’m acting old. It’s called being educated and not a blithering idiot.”

“No one says that shit. No one.” Naruto leaned against his right arm, looking at Sasuke warily. “And no one our age talks about quantum physics and that multi-whatever you call it, especially when they're in a fucking haunted house.”

“I do,” Sasuke snapped. “Obviously, I don’t give a shit if other people talk about it or not.”

“That’s because you’re this little old man trapped in a teenage body.” Naruto started to chuckle before doubling over with laughter, and for a minute Sasuke was sure he had lost it. “Or tonight, a little old woman. Oh, man... that's so you, though. Talkin about that shit now of all times.”

“Why are we even having this conversation?” Sasuke's lips twitched while he contained the urge to smile. Naruto's laughter had always been infectious even at the most inopportune times. He leaned his head against the wall and looked up at the dilapidated ceiling. “If you want to pretend I’m an old woman then go ahead.” 

“It’s no fun if you’re just going to give in. Jeez, have a sense of humor for once.” Naruto shuffled around and leaned forward on his knees. He stretched his right arm out and looked at Sasuke with a grin on his face. “Let it out, Sasuke. Let it be free!” 

“Whatever.” Sasuke let out a half giggle, half sigh. He had had enough. Bracing the wall with his left arm, he pushed himself up. “Let’s get out of here.”

The floor creaked underneath his feet, and he could feel the floorboards shift under his weight. For a minute, he thought for sure it was going to cave in, but when nothing happened, Sasuke started to take long, hobbled strides to the door. If Naruto hadn’t freaked out earlier and ran in here, they wouldn’t have been huddled into a cold corner to begin with. 

Naruto got up and quickly followed him, but Sasuke kept his snarky comments to himself. If he teased too much, they'd probably be here for another hour. They made their way back down the long hallway. Sasuke could hear noises that sounded like things were skittering about. Probably some small animals had taken root in some of the other rooms. With the shape the house was in, it wouldn't surprise him. He ignored the feel of cobwebs on the side of his face and in his hair. 

When they reached the staircase, he peered down and stopped. “I don't know if I can make back down in these heels.” 

“Take off your shoes then.” Naruto jumped across the broken step and reached out for Sasuke. “If you jump, I got you.”

“If you drop me, I’m going to kick your ass.” Slipping off the high heels, Sasuke ignored the sharp pain in his ankle when he crouched. The skirt didn’t give him much wiggle room so he’d have to be careful when he jumped. 

Sasuke perched on the edge before springing forward. Naruto grabbed his arm. He stumbled for a moment before leaning forward, causing them both to fall forward and onto the ground. He quickly moved to the side and stood up. Holding out his hand, Sasuke pulled Naruto up, and they carefully made their way down. 

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Naruto pulled him along the rest of the way until they reached the bottom of the stairs. 

The front door lie directed ahead of them so they both walked quickly to it. Sasuke pushed the pain that shot up his leg away. Regardless of Naruto’s insistence that the place was haunted, which he didn’t agree with at all, he wanted to go home and rest. If the idiot even thought they were going to go trick or treating afterwards, Sasuke planned on giving Naruto a piece of his mind. Pushing the door open, he stepped through. The stocking on his left leg caught on a splinter so Sasuke grunted and forced his leg in the opposite direction, ripping the delicate fabric. 

Once they were outside, the chilly night air blew across his face. Sasuke pulled the thin cardigan closer to his chest and limped down the steps. He could hear Naruto’s heavy breathing behind him and wondered why he was the one leading. He was the one with the sprained ankle.

“Dammit, Naruto, hurry up.” Sasuke took a few more steps and then put his weight on his left leg to ease the pressure off his right ankle. 

An odd shuffling noise from behind stopped them both. Sasuke looked around but didn’t see anyone so he started back down the overgrown driveway, ignoring the stab of gravel under his feet. It was only after he walked a few feet that he realized Naruto wasn’t walking beside him. 

Turning back, Sasuke looked at Naruto, noticing he was standing still. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Sasuke, what the hell is that?” Naruto pointed back towards the mansion. Even though Sasuke couldn't see his entire face, he could see enough to know that Naruto looked scared. 

At first Sasuke didn’t see anything, but then a light out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. About four feet off the ground a small white circular sphere hovered in front of them. He could hear a strange crackling sound, almost like an electrical current was attached to it. Oddly enough, there was no light or shadow cast from it. Only the thing itself lit up. 

Sasuke walked closer the white ball of light, tilting his head to the side. He would never get another chance to see something like this up close, and even though his nerves felt frayed, he pushed forward. Itachi wouldn’t have felt afraid. Whenever they talked about this sort of thing, Sasuke never remembered seeing his older brother’s eyes so excited over the prospect of seeing physics at work. The thought of being able to tell Itachi about it and what it was like up close made Sasuke feel like it would be alright. 

He didn’t plan on touching it, only looking at it. If he could manage that much, then tonight wouldn’t be a total waste of his time. There was no telling how long it would last or where it even came from. Sasuke wanted to watch and see what it did. He wanted to see what it was made of. All the theories and ideas that he had started to tell Naruto earlier came rushing into his thoughts, and excitement swelled in him. Itachi was going to be so jealous about this. 

When he got about five inches away, Sasuke reached his hand out towards it. From what he could tell, there was nothing keeping it above ground, and it didn’t look quite like anything he had seen before. There was no definite casing to it so it wasn’t one of those remote controlled toys that some of his friends had. Now that he had a closer look, it didn't like anything had seen before. The sides of it fluctuated and moved before settling back into its round shape. 

Turning his head to side, Sasuke studied it more closely. It almost looked gelatinous, but unless he touched it, he couldn’t know for sure. So he leaned forward, his hand reaching out more. A loud buzzing sound reverberated in his ears, washing out everything else. The light flickered, and for a second Sasuke was sure he had seen something in there that looked like a face. Instinct begged him to back away but instead, his hand moved closer. Only a couple more inches and he'd have it. 

“Hey!” Naruto pulled Sasuke back and shook him by the shoulders. “What the fuck are you doing? Are you fucking nuts? Didn't you hear me calling you for the past couple of minutes?”

Sasuke brushed Naruto’s hand off his shoulders and limped back towards the direction of the light only to find it had disappeared. “Dammit, why did you pull me back?”

Naruto reached out before pulling his hand back again. “Because, I didn’t think you should get so close. Who knows what that thing was?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Sasuke pushed Naruto so that he stumbled backwards. “I wanted a closer look. You had no right to stop me. If I wanted to walk off a damn bridge, that’s none of your business to interfere.”

They stood there glaring at each other. Sasuke kept his mouth shut. There was no sense in telling Naruto that whatever that thing had been, the energy coming off of it almost made him piss himself. He also didn't mention that while he was close to it, he hadn't been able to hear Naruto calling his name. Maybe he had been too engrossed in looking at it or maybe the energy from it had affected him more than he realized. 

Naruto’s shoulders slumped, and he sighed. “Fine, whatever. It was a stupid idea to come here anyway.”

Sasuke shook his head and walked down the sidewalk back towards town. He was way past arguing for the night. The stocking on his left leg had torn all the way down and gaped open and the right one had snags all over the place. They were about half of a mile away until they’d reach the first set of houses and business. Ahead the road led up a hill and once they walked past that, they'd be able to see their town. 

“What do you think that thing was?” Naruto quietly asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. Maybe it was a ghost. I read that sometimes ghosts look that like, like spheres.”

“I’ve already told you or tried to tell you what I think of ghosts. It wasn’t a ghost, Naruto.” Sasuke shrugged. “Some weird phenomena, probably energy that had built up. Maybe because you’re such a damn pansy and were practically shitting your pants the entire time we were in there.”

“I wasn’t shitting my pants!” Naruto lightly smacked Sasuke’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “S’weird, though. And then you tried to touch it and get close and… I don’t know.” 

“Don’t over think it.” Sasuke slowed down, and Naruto fell in step with him. “Maybe I’ll see one again sometime.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Naruto softly replied. “So, wanna go to my house and play Double Dash?” 

“No, I think I’m going to go home and rest this ankle, maybe watch some TV.” Sasuke purposely didn’t mention that since his parents weren’t home he wanted to catch up on Queer as Folk. 

Naruto bumped shoulders with him. “Okay. I’ll walk you home and then maybe see what Kiba is doing.”

“You don’t need to walk me home. I can do it on my own.” Sasuke moved ahead, glancing over his shoulder. “Once we hit town, it’ll be out of your way to go to my house.”

“I know, but still, I feel like it’s my fault you messed up your ankle and then I ruined your chance at that physics stuff. Probably wanted to tell Itachi about the next time you see him.” Naruto looked at Sasuke and smiled. “It’s no big. I don’t mind.

Sasuke shrugged again. Naruto could do whatever he wanted. Either way, he couldn’t wait until he got home and put this miserable experience behind him. They walked up over the hill, the town slowly coming into view, and Sasuke picked up his pace a bit, wondering if they could make it before his parents beat him back home.

**Author's Note:**

> My Halloween thing for the RA Halloween challenge on y!Gal. This is part of the Little Things universe. Raz often asks me to write in this AU and 99% of the time I say no, but I thought it'd be cool to write something small for the challenge in this verse.


End file.
